1. Technical Field
The invention relates to upholstered furniture. Particular embodiments of the invention relate to means for attaching upholstery covers to furniture frames.
2. Discussion of Art
Upholstery for aircraft seating usually includes a “dress” upholstery cover that is used to provide the final layer of comfort control, feel and appearance. Such covers are made from many materials, commonly cloth fabrics, natural, reconstituted, and faux leather are used. Some include foam or other types of padding. The covers must be removable for maintenance, especially fabric ones which require dry cleaning. Dress cover design and construction varies widely depending on the seat configuration, material, design aesthetics, and acceptable cost. However, it is common for covers to be complicated to make and install. Much of the complexity stems from needing to be removable. Additional complexity arises from attempts to conform flexible covers to contoured seating surfaces.
Accordingly it is desirable to provide lightweight upholstery covers that are easily removable and installable, and that can conform to contoured seating surfaces without complex installation.
Embodiments of the invention provide an upholstery cover article that comprises a pad; a facing laminated to one side of the pad; a backing scrim laminated to the other side of the pad opposite the fabric cover; and an edge attachment article secured to a perimeter of at least one of the pad, the facing, or the backing scrim. The edge attachment article consists essentially of a ribbon of spring material, which is formed to provide a securement portion that is secured along the perimeter of the flexible panel, and to provide an catch portion that is not secured to the flexible panel and protrudes contiguous from the securement portion partway across the flexible panel.
Other embodiments of the invention provide an article of furniture that comprises a frame and an upholstery cover that includes at least a pad, a facing laminated to a front side of the pad, and a backing scrim laminated to the back side of the pad, with an edge attachment article secured along a perimeter of the upholstery cover, and engaged with a part of the frame for attaching the upholstery cover to the frame.
Yet other embodiments implement a method for making an upholstery cover. The inventive method comprises laying together a facing, a pad, and a backing scrim in that order, with intervening adhesive, to form a preform; pressing the preform to cure the adhesive and form the upholstery cover; and affixing around a perimeter of the upholstery cover an edge attachment article that consists essentially of a ribbon of spring material, which is formed to provide a securement portion that is secured along the perimeter of the flexible panel, and to provide an catch portion that is not secured to the flexible panel and protrudes contiguous from the securement portion partway across the flexible panel.
The varied exemplary embodiments of the invention, as briefly described above, are illustrated by certain of the following figures.
Although embodiments of the invention as shown in the drawings are described as relating to aircraft seating, aspects of the invention more generally may be applicable to, e.g., other types of furniture having a frame with a cover stretched over or attached to the frame.
The laminated pad upholstery cover can be made by placing adhesive between the layers of material 1, 2 (and 11), and 3 to form a preform, then placing the preform into a tool (not shown) that is then placed into a laminating press (not shown). The press heats and presses the tool and the preform to cure the adhesive. The tool may include strips or rules of metal to bear on areas of the preform so as to indent styling elements 9 into at least the facing 1 and the pad 2, so as to produce an embossed appearance.
The upholstery cover is installed onto the frame 7 by way of an edge attachment article 4, which is secured at an edge or perimeter 14 of the upholstery cover as shown in
For installation of the edge attachment feature 4, the frame 7 includes a mating feature 8, e.g. a channel as shown in
Alternatively the edge attachment 4 and the mating feature 8 may be of any forms that can quickly engaged and disengaged: e.g., zippers, hook and loop fasteners, welt cords and hooks, snaps, wire hooks and grommets, or other specialized wire or plastic forms, for example the edge attachment article 4 may have any of the shapes as shown in
In the exemplary embodiment of
In some cases, mounting a upholstery cover to a frame only at its edges, as shown in
However, tenting or bridging can be addressed without having to resort to such securements, which increase complexity of installing and removing a cover. In particular, tenting and bridging can be prevented during construction of a laminated upholstery cover, by incorporating as shown in
Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to attached drawings, those skilled in the art nevertheless will apprehend variations in form or detail that are consistent with the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
This is a non-provisional of, claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of, and hereby incorporates by reference U.S. Pat. App. 61/974,704 “Lightweight Dress Cover with Edge Attachment,” filed Apr. 3, 2014.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61974704 | Apr 2014 | US |